Evanescent
by Hades'Queen
Summary: Love is Evanescent, os so it may seem to Snape. However, someone tells him otherwise. Please Read!


Disclamaire: Everything that you may recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Don't sue, I have nothing worth suing for.  
  
Summary: Love is evanescent, or so it may seem to Severus. However someone tells him otherwise. Please Review!  
  
A/N: Evanescent it an actual word, just in case you didn't know. So anyway, wrote this on a weary night in a fit of depression. So anyway story begins somewhere in Tonks' sixth year and pretty much ends in sometime in the future or present, whichever.  
  
Evanescent  
  
Nymphadora Tonks was walking toward her least favorite class. She hated it so much that she actually would sometimes skip the class entirely. Of course her presence would never go by unnoticed. Professor Snape disliked her so much, or so she thought, and was so used to her blunders in class that he would expect one every Potions lesson with the Sixth year Ravenclaws. If there wasn't some sort of circus-like blunder, than he knew she was absent. Although, it would be hard to miss the girl, whoms hair was usually some unusual color like Toxic green or bubble-gum pink.  
  
Today however she was going to go to class as herself for once. Her hair was black and waivy and reached the small of her back. It perfectly framed her face like if her hair was in layers. The waves where bouncy and made her look a splendor. Her eyes where black and twinkling. As for her lips they where thin, but with the deep red they where the looked pouty. Her pale, creamy skin made her lips show through more. She had slender black brows and her face was still somewhat heart shaped. As for her nose it was small, but just perfect for her face. Her chin was small and delicately feminine.  
  
When she walked into the classroom she realized that she must have been a couple of minutes early. She groaned to herself and walked into the classroom. She soon realized that the potions master was not yet in the room. That very much surprised her as she believed him to be a misanthrope that would forever lodge in this hell whole. For him to be out of this dank place known as a dungeon, for all the right reasons mind you, was one of those world wonder things that would probably not happen again. She had never even had any recollection of sieng this teacher in the Great Hall for any of the meals. Than again she was always so preocupied with her friends to actually pay any mind to him.  
  
She, however, did not care. This was al the better for her. She would not have to cope with the vile creature any longer than necessary, which of course was the reason she was there. She had missed the last two lessons, meaning she hadn't seen him in about two weeks. She could not afford to miss this class yet again. She was terrible enough in potions, her lack of presence in the classroom only made it worse. She wondered how she would ever become an auror at this point. She of course understood the 'subtle science' that was potions making, but her clumsiness was what made her fail the class. Other than that she was a brilliant student.  
  
She walked over to the second row seats and took the spot at the very far left. Apparently he wanted her in sight yet not too close to many students. He thought that would perhaps be a safety hazard. Of course she had no idea how he would be able to see her when she was all the way in the very far left corner of the room where the Dungeons was practically covered in shadows. Of course there was that rumor that there 'dear sweet' potions master was a vampire, a rumor started by Charlie Weasley. But if it was so than he would have great nocturnal vision. Meaning he would be able to see her in the dim spot he had placed her in.  
  
She sat down and placed her bag on the floor. She slumped over the table and laid her head to rest on her arms. She felt rather tired. She had no idea why, she just did. Maybe it was the dread of potions that made her feel so uterly weak at the moment. Or perhaps it was simply the moldy old air of the Dungeons that caused her to feel sleepy and slightly naseous. Than again, had she eaten breakfast as her friends had advised she would not feel like up-chucking at the moment. She wondered if this was a sign telling her she should never come to Potions again, or maybe this was a sign telling her that she did not come to the dungeons enough. Had she actually attended the class at a regular basis she would probably be used to the smell in the air. She wondered it it would only get worse when class started and they where brewing a potions that smelled like old sweaty gym socks.  
  
At that moment students began to pour into the classroom. She figured the bell would soon ring. She looked around the classroom and noticed that many of them had looked around to see if the Professor was in the room. When they saw that he wasn't they continued to jabber on just as enthusiatically as before. They all took their seats, one by one taking every single spot in the room. She wondered why school and the kids going to it had become so dull. She rememebered that when they where in their first through fourth year they would play all sorts of pranks on the teachers, but as the years went by they stopped. She wondered if they all believe themselves to be so mature as to not enjoy themselves.  
  
She was brought out of her reverie as the bell rang. The Potions master glided into the room and closed the door behind him with a snap. "Silence," he barked out and the room went silent. She looked around the room and saw that every single person was looking at the professor as he stood before the classroom. She turned her attention to him. His shoulder length black hair was as greasy as always. His black cold eyes where hard and she could tell that he was vexed. She wondered why the only young, male teacher had to be such a grouch. He looked to be twenty-five, six feet and two inches, with a lithe body. The only thing she liked about him was his broad shoulders and slightly built chest. Or at least that's one of the only things that she liked about his physical appearence. Not like she believed him to be a complete ogre, although, he did act the part.  
  
His eyes gave a quick sweep around the room. "Well I see that Miss Tonks has once again decided to not come to class," he said. Tonks raised an eyebrow and than stood up.  
  
"I'm right here," she said. Snape turned to look at her and when he looked at her he raised a slender black brow.  
  
"So you are here. I did not recognize you for you seemed like a normal child. I was expecting to see someone that had hair like a broom end in a toxic neon color," he spat out. "Who's indentity are you borrowing?"  
  
"It is not a borrowed identity. This I got from my folks," Tonks said. Snape raised a brow again, but simply turned to the rest of the class, whom where looking at Tonks. They had not seen the real Tonks since their third year. She had pretty much began to get a better control of her gift at the age of thirteen. Since than she had liked to toy with her image. She found it amusing. He soon turned his attention to Tonks. "Miss Tonks you will be staying after class for a couple of minutes. Understood?" Tonks grimaced but noded. He had turned to the rest of the class once again and started the lesson.  
  
At the end of the class Tonks had yet to send her potions into a menacing spiral of catastrophe. Therefore she made Snape wonder if it was truly her. He had expected her to be as abysmal as always in Potions. Actually since she had missed two lessons he had expected her to do much worse. He had not seen how Tonks had screwed up her face in concentration. He hadn't noticed her go extra slowly and carefully while cutting ingredients and adding them. She made sure she did everything exactly as it was written on the board. By the end of the class she was one of the only one's who succesfully finished the potion and put it on his desk to recieve credit. As she was packing up toward the end of the lesson she remmebered that she had to stay after class. She groaned to herself and when the bell rang she walked up to his desk.  
  
"You wanted me to stay, Professor?" she asked. He looked up from his papers. When he saw her he leaned back on his chair and rested his elbows on the arm rest. He put his fingertips together and looked like a sinister villain coming up with a crazy, ludicrous plot. He stared at her and thought. Than he placed his hands on his desk and leaned forward.  
  
"You see regularly I would give you detention and think of the worst ways to make you suffer. But since you amuse me," he started. She was surprised, she had not known that she amused him. "I haved decided on the following. You are to learn the two lessons that you missed when you cut my class. Each of the lessons being half an hour shorter than regular, meaning you have an hour to learn each lesson. This you will do for no credit and so that your grade will not drop very low you get one chance to bring it up. You will have an hour to do a potion for exra credit."  
  
"So I have to waste three hours of my time?" she asked.  
  
"Well if you do the math that is how much you missed. You missed two lessons and each class was an hour and thirty minutes long. You add them up it amounts to three hours. Now you get to chose how you will do this. Either you do one hour for three days, or three hours on a sunday," he said. She thought about it.  
  
"Would you be choosing the three days?" she asked.  
  
"Of course," he responded. She thought about it. She did not want to be alone with him for three hours on a sunday. That was way too long on a day that she got to rest. On the other hand she would have to spend an hour with him for three days, and any three days that he choosed. If she had something planned than she was pretty much screwed. But than she decided it was better to put up with him for only an hour a day, rather instead of three hours.  
  
"I guess an hour a day," she responded with a shrug. He noded and told her that he would see her tomorow at about five, an hour before dinner. She noded and left the classroom.  
  
She returned the next day at five. When she walked into the classroom it was absolutely empty and if it was possible even more darker than usuall. She soon spotted the Professor at his desk. She assumed he was grading papers since he had a quill in hand and bent over doing work. She walked over to him and plopped down in the seat acrosss from him. He looked up at her and sat back. He looked at the miniture hourglass on his desk. He than looked up at her. "Imagine that, you are on time," he said. She merely stared at him. She knew it was an insult, but ignored it. "You know I'm rather curious about something. How did you end up in Ravenclaw? I would have expected you to go to Hufflepuff or Griffindor. "  
  
"The lot of my family has been in Slytherin," she responded which made a look of surprise come over his face. "There was only one of my relatives, I guess you could call him a cousin, that didn't go to Slytherin. He went to Griffindor, which did not please his parents. They are on a load of the pureblood dung. As for my mom, she married a muggle and therefore made the family disown us."  
  
"That is very interesting, but does not answer my question," he said.  
  
"Potions is pretty much the only class I have a less than average grade in. All the other clases I do well enough in. They are good enough grades to get into Ravenclaw," she responded. He noded and stared at her.  
  
"Well this is the potion you're making," he said giving her the instructions. He took out his wand and with a flip of his wrist everything needed for the potions sat before her. "You may begin," he said. She stood up and began on her potion. He than looked up at her and stared at her. She didn't notice that she was looking at him. She was concentrating on the potions she was preparing. Her face was screwed up in concentration and her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. He could feel himself smile on the inside. She looked adorable. He than noticed that her hair was long and the color Aqua. Her eyes where a crystal blue color. "Miss Tonks why do you often change your appearence?" he asked. She looked up at him.  
  
"Ummm.... I like to toy with my image," she responded blushing lightly. He actually allowed a smile to grace his lips. When he smiled she stared at him. "You know you should do that more often. You don't look like such a grouch when you smile," she said with a smile at him. This made him turn his attention back to his papers. She replayed what she had just said and the form she said it. She found that she had said it in an almost flirtatious manner. She shook her head and turned her attention back to her potion.  
  
They continued to work in complete silence for a while. The only sounds in the entire room coming from her hissing potion and from his scratching quill. Tonks felt slightly uncomfertable and she wasn't sure if she was the only one. It seemed to her like the awkward silence spread on between them for an eternity when it was really more like a mere couple minutes. When she looked up at him she would see him sitting back and reading one of the essays he was grading. She looked at his hand that was grasping the essay. She could see the sleeves of his robes covering his hand all the way until the second nuckle.  
  
"Is your favorite color black?" she asked.  
  
"Black is not a color it's a neutral," he responded looking up at her. "And no it is not. My favorite color is a violent shade of violet."  
  
"Oh cool, mine too," Tonks said smiling at him. She had never expected him to like the color purple. She never imagined having anything in common with him. She always figured that his favorite color was black since that was the color or rather neutral he wore daily. Snape looked at her.  
  
"I thought you would like pink," he responded. She mocked indignity.  
  
"I'm insaulted!" she exlaimed in indignity. A smile trying to break out into her face. The corners of her mouth would go up at times but she had to fight to stop it. "Never have a been insaulted like this in my life. Pink! Why I never!" He smiled at her mock indignation. She smiled at him. "You see! You should smile more often. And it isn't that hard is it?!"  
  
"You amuse me, I told you yesterday," he said turning his face neutral once more and turning his attention back to his essay papers. She shrugged and went back to work. Soon she was done and she had permission to leave. When she got to Ravenclaw everyone asked her how terrible it was and she merely responded tha it wasn't that bad. He had told her that he would want to see her on the upcoming thursday, which was about two days away.  
  
The two days seemed to soar by quickly. She was begining to grow curious about the Professor. He really wasn't as bad as she had believed he was. He just seemed to put on tough layers, but he wasn't a bad person. She found him to be very interesting and she began to watch him over the two days. She noticed that there where many things that she indeed liked about him. Like how he walked for instance. With such grace and preciseness that she craved, but could not have. And she had to admit he was very talented with Potions. She thought that he also had a very good and attractive body. It was firm and she often wondered what his chest and arms felt like. She was sure that they weren't soft. And as for his attitude, she found it amusing.  
  
On thursday she was actually looking forward to five o' clock. When five o' clock finally did come she was already in his classroom. He had imediately looked up and than back at the hour glass on his desk. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You do realize that you are a full five minutes early, right?" he asked.  
  
"I know," she said as she sat across from him. "I have time to kill," she responded. He merely noded and gave her the list of instructions.  
  
"Than you might as well get started," he said. And once again with a wave of his wand the ingredients appeared for the potion. He than turned his attention back to his grading. She wodered why he gave so many essay that it took him days and days to grade. She shrugged and merely got started with her potion. When she added the first ingredients the couldron threw up a lot of filmy gray smoke and she screwed up her face. He had looked up and smiled at the expression on her face. She had imediately pinched her nose with her fingers. She looked at him and she could see the amused expression on his face.  
  
"Why do all potions smell like old nasty socks?" she asked looking digusted. He chuckled lightly which made her eyes go wide. She removed her hand from her nose and stared at him. "Did you just chuckle?" she asked. He looked at her and merely noded. "I didn't know you can laugh!"  
  
"Of course I can, I just don't find anything amusing," he responded turning serious again. She looked at him. "Well Miss Tonks, back to work."  
  
"Don't call me Miss Tonks. I don't like it,it so formal so ...Yucky," she said. He looked up at her. "Just Tonks."  
  
"Well Tonks get to work," he said. He than turned back to his grading.  
  
"Professor am I really doing all that bad in your class?" she asked. He once again looked up at her. She had a serious expression on her face. A sort of worried one.  
  
"You're doing average, which I can say is better than what others recieve," he responded. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well You're always saying that I am abysmal in Potions and well.... I need to get a high score on my NEWTS because I want to be an Auror," she responded. She expected him to laugh at her. She expected his to snort and say something along the lines of 'You think you can ever become an auror. Dear shild you cannot even walk without causing a catastrophe!' But it did not come. He merely noded in understanding.  
  
"You are a bright student Tonks and I'm sure that you will do well on your NEWTS next year," he responded gently. At this statement she looked at him in a new light. A whole new and different light.  
  
The days flew by quickly. She soon found the professor being all that she could think of. She found him to be everything she dreamed of. Whenever she saw him she felt butterflies. She would at times got out of her ay to see him. She could not wait until the next time she would get to spend time with him again. She found that he was a enigma. He was cold, cruel and mysterious and yet somewhat the opposite of that. He had beauty and grace and yet managed to scare people to death. His way of talking was so poetic and yet venomous. She knew she would never meet anybody like Professor Severus Snape.  
  
She went back to his class on tuesday to do the extra credit. When she walked into the room he was once again behind his desk, but this time he seemed to be reading. She walked over and sat across from him. She read the title of the book that he was reading and found that it was something that was related to Defence against the Dark Arts. "So you like Defence?" she asked. He looked up at her.  
  
"It's an interest," he responded setting the book down and giving her the instructions. He looked at her for amoment. "So I see that you decided to come as yourself again," he commented. Tonks noded.  
  
"It may be boring to be me, but oh well. I decided that I should let myself out once in a while," she said.  
  
"You look very nice," he said nonchalantly. She lightly blushed and turned her attention to the instuctions muttering a soft thanks under her breath. He stared at her and soon went back to reading the book. He found that over the course of time his attention kept wandering to her. She had this sort of inner beauty. He found her beautiful no matter what type of exterior she had on. She was beautiful on the inside and that made him like her. Although as herself she was very beautiful. And in a snese she reminded him of the greek goddess Persephone. Everyone loved her, even the Lord of the Underworld. He wanted her so that he abducted her and took her as his bride.  
  
"What?" Tonks asked. He snapped out of his reverie and realized he had been staring at her. She was looking at him. He shook his head and turned his attention to the book. Time seemed to pass rather quickly. Soon there was about only ten minutes left before she would have to leave and he found that he actually craved her company. "Umm Professor," she said. He looked up at her. She was looking into the couldron sort of perplexed.  
  
"Hmmm?" he asked looking up at her.  
  
"Is it supposed to look like that?" she asked. He stood up and looked into the couldron. There was something wrong with it. It looked like tar. He frowned and proded it with his wand. Soon the mess of dark substance jumped out of the couldron as if it where flubber and attached to each of their robes. It soon pulled them as close as possible with the desk between them. She could smell him and found that he did not sme.l moldy as she expected him to. He sort of smelled like cinamon to her. As for her, she smelled like peaches to him. If she turned her head slightly she could see his face which hovered slightly over her, like about an inch. She could feel his breath on her face.  
  
He tried to pull away, but the substance seemed to work like glue and had them stuck to each other. "Ummm... my my my back is beginig to umm hurt," she stuttered.  
  
"Perhaps we should move to your left to get the desk out of the way. That way we are not bending over uncomfertably," he said. She noded and they began to move within three seconds they got the desk out of the way. The only problem was that as soon as they did they where pulled closer together. Her chest and his pressed right up against each other. "What did yo do wrong Miss Tonks?" he asked.  
  
"I dunno," she responded. She tried to look up at him but they where so close that looking in his face slightly hurted her eyesight. She could however see his lips and she could not remember ever being tempted so badly. All the while Severus had to close his eyes and count to ten. To have her lithe little body pressed up againts him felt so good. He only wanted to devour her. But than he had to remind himself that she was nine years younger than him and his student. He soon felt her hands resting on his biceps. He shivered at her light gentle touch. Her little hands causing warmth to spread within him.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked out of instinct. She imediately took her hands away.  
  
"Sorry," she mumbled. She looked up at him once more and found his lips so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. She shivered and continued to stare at his mouth. When she could no longer restrain herself she reached up and placed her hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Her lips where so warm against his. He soon felt her little hands play with his hair. He wrapped his arms aorund her body and gave into the soft kiss that he was recieving from the girl. He didn't care at the moment that she was years younger than him and his student he just wanted to be with her.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Severus Snape opened his eyes and sat up. He imediately groaned at the pain his muscles and the imense Head ache he felt. He was in St Mungos. He had been severely punished by the Dark Lord for not attending the Death Eaters meetings. Severly punished him for it. He hated bieng in St. Mungo's but was glad that he at least he had a room of his own. He leaned against the Head board and thought. He let one of his fingers lightly run over his lips. He could remember their first kiss perfectly well. He could still feel her small hands in his hair. He could still smell her sweet scent, feel the warmth she caused within him.  
  
He shook his head wanting to chase it all away. Nothing had worked out. He fell for her and she fell in love with him. However at the begining of her seventh year things seemed to change. They both seemed to be very involved with things of their own that they half forgot about each other. Things became awkward between them. Soon they could not spend time with each other for they didn't feel right. Soon she went away and he stayed behind and that was their end.  
  
He never understood what had happened. They had done nothing over the summer and when she returned for her seventh year she was different. She was slightly aloof. This of course only had caused him to retreat. Soon enough they hardly spent any time together. Like they did not feel right being in each others presence. He often wondered wether she had decided that what they where doing was wrong and wanted to break it off. He figured that was it. He had written to her once and only once over the summer. He got his letter sent back to him and with that he decided to never write to her again.  
  
He stared at the brown curtains that surounded the four poster. Covering his view of the hospital room. He wondered wether Professor Dumbledore had yet found out what had happend to him. He figured he would know. Severus had missed at least twelve of the Dark Lords calls to him and since scarhead had destroyed the prophecy he was furious. He was one of the ones in which he had let his wrath fall upon. Him amongst others, like Lucius, Bellatrix, Goyle, Crabbe and Petigrew.  
  
He soon heard footsteps in the room and suddenly there was a thud and a crash. He ripped his curtains off and saw someone on the floor. He could see long black waivy hair, the black wierd sisters t-shirt, with baggy black pants. She got off the floor and dusted herself off. She soon turned her gaze to him. "Sorry about that," she muttered walking over to him. He realized that for the first time in fourteen years he was looking at the true Nymphadora Tonks.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he snapped as she pulled a chair up to his bedside.  
  
"Umm... I brought 'cha this," she said taking out a vial of a purple-ish liquid. "It's umm... for your... er... muslce aches. Dumbledore asked me to prepare it and ...em.. bring it to you," she said slowly and unsurely.  
  
"You prepared it?" he asked. "How do I not know it will not result like the first time you tried that potion in you sixth year?" he snapped.  
  
"Well you shouldn't complain because you wheren't than. And it was prepared corractly. I would not make you take something that can poison you," she snapped. She handed him the vial and he took it. He did not drink it but merely looked at her.  
  
"You can leave now," he said.  
  
"Actually I want to have a word with you. I want to talk to you about what happened in the past. I've been wanting to talk to you about it since we met again. I have however stopped myself over the past year because we never seemed to be left alone together and now that I got you alone I want to know a couple of things," she said.  
  
"Why can't you just leave it in the past?" he growled drinking the potion. He did it quickly so as to not taste it.  
  
"Because I am curious. Why did you no longer want me?" she asked. "Why didn't you ever bother to owl me at least once over the summer? Was I some passing fancy, some fantasy you wanted to get out of your system? Was I merely a toy to you?"  
  
"What? NO. For the year I believed that you loved me and I loved you. I did owl you once over the summer and when the owl was returned to me I didn't try to again. I thought you where regretting what we had done," he said. She stared at him.  
  
"Severus I love you," she stated calmly but in a hard tone. She was about to say something, but he cut her off before she could utter a single syllable.  
  
"Love is evanescent," He sad harshly.She looked at him and wondered wether he really believe that.  
  
"Really? If love is evanescent than why do I sometimes hear your voice whisper in my ear? Why do I feel you warmth? Why can I still feel your lips carress my skin? Feel your lips fondle mine? Why do I still feel what I felt so long ago for you?" she asked gently, but rapidly. He cought every syllable and it made him think. "Tell me you still don't feel my heart beat for you. Tell me you don't feel my presence in the room. Tell me that you have forgotten my eyes, the feel of my hair, the touch of my hands, my smile. Tell me you don't feel butterflies when you see me."  
  
"I cannot," he said turning away.  
  
"And why is that?" she asked.  
  
"Because I do," he responded turning to look at her. She noded.  
  
"And here you tell me love is evanescent," she said. She stood up and took a seat on the edge of the bed. She leaned forward and let her lips lightly carress his. After the sweet kiss she pulled away. She looked him in the eyes and he could see her eyes twinckling. Though he did not know with love or with tears. "Please say it," she whispered. He pulled her into a close hug.  
  
"My beautiful, magical Nymph. Mine forever and always," he whispered in her ear. She smiled and a single hot tear slowly rolled dow her cheek. 


End file.
